Ridgefield looks to turf alternatives

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, February 10, 2008

Parks and Recreation director Paul Roche and Bob Schneider, assistant director of parks, visited Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, N.Y., last week to learn about its sports field surfaced with MondoTurf.
MondoTurf is artificial turf made of ecofill, a polyolefin-based granule used in carpeting, fabric bags, and covers for outdoor structures.
Roche liked what he saw and recommended it to First Selectman Rudy Marconi.
"I think it's a good balance of material," Roche said Wednesday. "We walked on it, ran on it and jumped on it. It's supposed to be better on upper legs and toes than crumb-rubber fill turf. It looks like a good alternative to ground-tire infill."
Roche said Mondo, the company that produces MondoTurf, is a "well-known provider of tracks for Olympic games." Its product line is tested and certified by the International Organization for Standardization.
While the material costs about $1 more per square foot than crumb-rubber fill artificial turf, Roche believes its cost could be incorporated in the $1.6-million figure being voted on Feb. 26.
MondoTurf is not the only alternative to crumb-rubber infill turf the town is considering.
Marconi is meeting with a representative from Geo Safe Play, a company that produces an artificial turf called InfillPro Geo with synthetic fiber and organic materials, according to the company's Web site.
He is also meeting with a Toronto company that manufactures an artificial turf billed as being ecologically friendly.
"At the suggestion of a group of concerned parents, we are looking into alternatives to crumb-rubber infill turf," Marconi said. "The turfs we are looking at ... would not pose the health concerns of ground-tire infill."
Marconi said the good news he has for concerned parents so far is "the health issues specific to crumb-rubber could be avoided and negated with the use of the Mondo product."
"We are thrilled that they are looking at alternatives, but a decision like this should not be made at the last minutes before the referendum," said Stacy Mesler, a leader of Members of Ridgefielders for Grass Fields, the parents' group that suggested Mondo and Geo Safe Play to Marconi.
"We need time to look at these alternative turfs closely," she continued. "We are asking for a grass field at this time for Onalfo, until due diligence has been done in exploring these alternatives."
"I will still vote no on Feb. 26," said Beth Butler, a mother and member of Ridgefielders for Grass Fields. "I don't think enough time is available to do the research needed on these alternatives; $1.6 million is too much money for the town to race to spend it."
Nancy Alderman, president of the physicians' research group Environmental and Human Health Inc., based in North Haven, agrees more study needs to be done on the alternatives.
"We know what we know about ground-up rubber tires because a lot of health studies are out on these, and we've done our own studies," Alderman said.
"We know a lot and what we know is that there are health risks associated with them. But as far as we know, only in-industry testing has been done on these alternatives and in-industry testing is always problematic," she said.
"We need independent studies of these alternatives before EHH could recommend them. We're not opposed to MondoTurf. We just don't know enough about it."
Marconi said he understands there are still questions in the community and some people think the referendum is coming up too soon.
"I've had people opposed to crumb-rubber infill turf ask how we know there isn't also a problem with these alternative infill turfs," Marconi said. "I say, 'The same way you know your jacket doesn't pose a health risk.' At some point we have to draw a line and move forward."
Contact Susan Tuz
at stuz@newstimes.com
or (203) 731-3352.
REFERENDUM
WHAT -- Whether to spend $1.6 million to expand and install artificial turf at Onalfo sports field.
WHEN -- Feb. 26 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE -- All three regular polling sites -- East Ridge Middle School, Scotts Ridge Middle School and Yanity Gym.